About This Project

Our goal is to measure the effect of coastal light pollution on hatchling loggerhead ability to find the ocean. We hypothesize that there will be a threshold intensity above which hatchlings become disoriented and less efficient at "sea finding".

Artificial light is a pollutant which is increasing in U.S. urban environments at a rate of 6% per year. Determining hatchling response to various light levels will be important to the long term conservation strategies for endangered sea turtle species.